By Nick Hoult, Chief Cricket Correspondent, at Edgbaston
There was no 2005 fairy tale, just a 2023 reality check for England. Their all-out pursuit of victory created one of the great Ashes Tests but it came at the cost of going 1-0 down.
No team has come back from losing the first Test of an Ashes since 2005, but of all the teams who have found themselves in such a state, it is this England who are best equipped to mount a recovery. Never before can they have made the running so much in an Ashes Test and still lost. One thing is clear too: This is going to be a humdinger of a series between two teams playing the same sport in two different ways.
If you buy into this England team then you have to accept glorious failure as part of the deal. It is only England’s spirit of adventure that made it possible for a pudding of a pitch and a Test that lost a day’s play to rain end in a result.
At 7.21pm on day five, with two needed, Pat Cummins hit the winning runs via a misfield on the third man boundary to bring a victorious end to a stirring captain’s innings of 44 off 73 balls. He was on seven when the eighth wicket went down and his team 54 short. Australia won by two wickets and the symmetry will not be lost on them with 2005, when they were beaten by two runs.
Cummins was helped by one of the “three No 11s” in the Australian side, Nathan Lyon, who made Ollie Robinson’s sledge come back to haunt him with a courageous 16 off 28 balls in a 55-run stand when all seemed lost, and by the obduracy of Usman Khawaja’s second long vigil of the match.
England will look back on missed chances – six dropped catches, one stumping and a wicket off a no ball. The first-innings declaration cost England runs and how they would have loved 20 or 30 more when Cummins and Lyon were at the crease. At the time it was a bold move to gain control of the match and expose Australia to an uncomfortable 20 minutes and it created unforgettable theatre when Stuart Broad bowled to David Warner but ultimately it did not work. Warner survived.
England gave away wickets in the pursuit of quick runs in the second innings, knowing rain would play a part on the final day, when they could have batted Australia out of the match.
That would go against everything Stokes and Brendon McCullum stand for, which is entertaining the crowd and always pursuing victory. They will not trade off those principles to win, their players just have to be better at taking chances.
It is not a tightrope walk with this England team but a tightrope run. They can so easily slip off the wire and they are sprinting headlong into an Australian team happy to sit back in the belief that the deeper they take the match, the more chance they have of winning. And anyway, they batted at 3.2 an over throughout the match, an otherwise normal tempo in Test cricket. It is just England’s approach that makes them look negative.
This was the first time England had failed to take 20 wickets in a match under Stokes when the opposition has batted twice and it was not because they bowled poorly. They were outstanding on the final day and fielded superbly.
Heavy rain delayed the second day until 2.15pm and gave the teams 67 overs; Australia needing 174, England seven wickets. Nightwatchman Scott Boland, another of those three No 11s, stuck around for a useful 20.
Khawaja was the metronome, ticking over at his own pace, grinding to 65 off 197 balls, resolutely behind every delivery and ignoring the baiting from Robinson. It was an inertia however which seemed to infect Travis Head, Cameron Green and Alex Carey, who were all timid in their approach despite their strokeplay talent.
Australia were not hurting England for long periods. Khawaja hit seven off his first 50 balls but it was tough on a slow pitch to play expansively and Robinson and Broad gave Australia nothing. James Anderson was not so hot, this an anonymous return.
Head struggled to score off Broad’s short balls and was out propping forward to Moeen Ali, edging to slip after taking two off his first three balls. After the break, Green chopped on Robinson’s slower ball for the sixth wicket with 89 still needed. England favourites.
It was now that Stokes finally brought himself on and operated with Root as Moeen’s finger injury wrecked his control of the ball.
Root bowled one of his best spells for England and Stokes reverted to white-ball mode, leg cutters and slower balls. It was one of those that Khawaja dragged on, Stokes barely celebrating the wicket. Khawaja had scored 31 off 113 balls on day five, Australia were 72 short.
Stokes bowled seven overs, one for nine, and delayed the second new ball, sensing Root would make the breakthrough. Carey decided to go aerial and smacked a return catch to Root on 10 which was spilled. Another half chance came when Cummins hit back to Root low down on six, a theoretical chance.
Carey ignored the warning signs and tried to get under Root again but this time he held on to the caught and bowled, ringing his hands. Now Australia hit the button, Cummins realising they were going nowhere. Two sixes off Root came in an over worth 14 and Stokes could not hold on to a diving effort at square leg off Lyon when he had two.
When the new ball was available, Australia required 54, it was down to 27 when Stokes took it. He turned to Broad and Robinson, his best two bowlers on the day. The fields were spread and England went for the short-ball tactic but Lyon, a compulsive hooker, stayed cool.
In the England dressing room, McCullum was sitting back on the sofa as if watching television, and eating popcorn. Australia’s players crammed the viewing area and could not watch. Soon enough they were jumping in the air and celebrating a great show of leadership from Cummins.
Australia win the first Test: As it happened
08:07 PM BST
A triumph for the Test game
08:05 PM BST
And what do England alumni make of it?
08:01 PM BST
A wise man says something wise
07:56 PM BST
Pat Cummins on going 1-0 up
Our support has been huge all week, they’ve been outnumbered but stuck in there.
[Did you fancy your chances when you walked out to bat?] Pretty good, the wicket didn’t have too many demons in it. I thought it was well within our grasp.
[What did you say to Lyon when he smacked Broad for four?] I looked at him, he walked past and said ‘nice shot Garry!’ Think he was happy. [
Both teams spoke about their styles and that’s the beauty of the series. We’ll both play to our strengths. Don’t know which is better but makes for good entertainment.
[Khawaja showed] incredible composure, played his own method didn’t get caught up. Been class the last couple of years, to have someone like that in the middle for others to play around. Really happy for him. He had a good feel for the wicket, everyone else tried to play their little role.
Nathan [Lyon]’s huge, both innings. He’s played 120 Tests, he takes key wickets, he’s a superstar. He’s calm, he goes about his work.
[Does this make up for Headingley 2019?] Don’t know what you’re talking about, mate!
07:53 PM BST
Ben Stokes speaks
Does it hurt to lose after making the running for most of the game?
“No, not really. A loss is a loss. Losing hurts regardless of what you have done, winning is always a great feeling but we’re going to keep coming at Australia in the way that we did, we are going to keep making moves when we feel the time is right and if we end up on the wrong side of results in games that go down to the wire like this, there won’t be too much to complain about.
“Hopefully we have managed to attract the attention of more people in England and Australia to follow the Ashes for the next four games.”
Any regrets over the declaration?
“Not at all. I’d seen that as an opportunity to pounce on Australia. No opening batsman likes to go out for 20 minutes at the end of the day. I sensed an opportunity to potentially take two wickets and start day two really on top. But who knows how it could have worked out – Joe could have been run out and Jimmy too.”
How big a blow was it not having Moeen Ali at the end?
“It would have been great to have had Mo there but Joe came in and did a fantastic job there. He’s a world-class batsman but I think he has grown with more responsibility I have tried to give him with the ball. I told Mo to tell mer if his finger was sore and I sensed it was even before that. For him to come back into his first Test match and operate the way he did and put himself through the pain barrier for the team – I’ve got no complaints over that.”
How good was Root?
“For a senior batter to go out and play the way he did yesterday… that really got us off to a roll. The game was massively in the balance there. To have the bravery to go out there and play in the way he did was unbelievable and gave us momentum into the game. You know 280 runs is a lot, especially when you are chasing. You’ve got to give credit to Australia. They always stuck in, throughout the whole game, not just in that last innings. So I think it is going to be a great series.”
07:50 PM BST
Monty Panesar’s verdict
One of the best Test matches we have seen. Brilliant catch by Joe Root, if Ben Stokes held the catch it could have been a different result.
Credit to Stokes to keep the game going and the new ball just didn’t do enough off the pitch. What a game of cricket. High octane viewing. We have four more of these games.
England must remain upbeat for the next Test.
07:48 PM BST
The taste of victory … and defeat
07:42 PM BST
Usman Khawaja is player of the match
I’m not going to lie, I was absolutely s—-ing myself for the last five minutes there. It’s so heart-wrenching. An unbelievable game. I watched 2005, stayed up late. We had Stokesy play an unbelievable innings last Ashes, but this is definitely one of my favourite Test matches. I was watching it in the changing room on a delay, I had to stay there.
It’s right up there, an Ashes, I’ve had some hard times here. The ebb and flow, no one had the game until the end. One of my favourite Tests. Tough work in 2013 and 2019, I was a young pup in 2013 and had more nightmares about Swanny than the quicks. In 2019 it was hard for all the batters unless you were Steve Smith. It was nice to get off to a good start on this one. Four more Ashes Tests left and I hope they can all be like this.
07:36 PM BST
Australia go 1-0 up
07:25 PM BST
Australia win by two wickets
One of the great victories, one of the great Test matches. Pat Cummins ends on 44, part of a matchwinning ninth-wicket stand of 55. England bowled magnificently given their limitations – Stokes’ knee, Moeen’s finger – but couldn’t get it over the line.
It’s going to be an epic series, two fine sides trading blows.
07:22 PM BST
OVER 92.3: AUS 282/8 (Cummins 44 Lyon 16)
Cummins fends a bouncer off his chest and Pope scrambles to save it, one hand one bounce at full stretch.
He defends the next Robinson short ball, going up en pointe to drop it at his toes not wholly convincingly.
Cummins edges the next ball between third man and backward point and the fielder, Harry Brook, with a headlong drive, can only help it over the rope.
Australia win by two wickets!!
07:19 PM BST
OVER 92: AUS 278/8 (Cummins 40 Lyon 16)
Lyon gloves the bouncer off his armpit, well short of Pope at short leg.
He pulls the next one off the splice and Pope turns turtle and takes evasive action. Not sure he could have reached it. They run a single.
Four to win.
Cummins lets the short ball hit his chest pad. He wears the next one, too, this time on the hip.
Cummins uses his bat to punch the fifth ball and Broad makes a crucial, diving stop off his own bowling.
The final ball is back of a length and he waits for it to clip it to midwicket for a single.
Three to win.
07:14 PM BST
OVER 91: AUS 276/8 (Cummins 39 Lyon 15)
Robinson arrows a bouncer into Cummins’ body. He was retreating to leg to target point.
Big perfume ball follows. Cummins drops his gloves as it vaulted above his nose.
Another bouncer. Cummins ducks. Three dots.
Robinson sees Cummins back away and spears in the yorker. Cummins jams down on it late to keep it out.
Cummins steps inside the line of the shortish ball. Five dots. And the captain sways out of the way of the last ball that didn’t get up.
Another big conflab. Stokes took his cap off but asked Broad if he wanted to finish it off … and he does.
07:08 PM BST
He’s going to stick with Robinson
After a huddle he sticks with the Sussex man.
07:08 PM BST
OVER 90: AUS 276/8 (Cummins 39 Lyon 15)
Ripper from Broad to Cummins, nipping back and searing past the edge. The scrambled seam produces magical deliveries. Cummins widens his eyes after nodding his approval at Broad. Cummins flicks a single off middle and off. Had he missed it would have been plumb. They run a single.
Lyon then plays an extraordinary shot. Pure nerve and class, smacking it over mid-on for four. What a blow! He calmly whips a single off the next ball. Six to win and one ball to come to Cummins.
Avengers assemble. Or rather Broad, Stokes, Robinson and Anderson do.
Broad opts for a full delivery and Cummins whips it off middle for a single.
Five to win.
07:01 PM BST
OVER 89: AUS 269/8 (Cummins 37 Lyon 10)
The field is set for the happy hooker Lyon. Three on the boundary. Lyon pulls the first short Robinson ball into his hip then flips the next off his hip for a single.
Robinson pitches up to Cummins who defends. The field is back for the hook. But Robinson persists with a fullish line. Cummins walks across and is hit above the knee roll but the ball was heading past leg stump. They hustle a leg-bye.
Lyon wants a kamikaze single for a tap to mid on, Cummins sends him back, and the great spinner finishes the over playing and missing at a pull.
Australia need 12 to win.
06:54 PM BST
OVER 88: AUS 267/8 (Cummins 37 Lyon 9)
Cummins fends the bouncer down then plays tip and run to mid-off for a single. Fifteen to get. Lyon on strike to Broad.
Lyon drills an off-drive that Broad dives to take the pace off. Dot ball. He drives the next again but without middling it. No run.
Broad sends point and square leg out to the fence. It’s a bluff as Broad snakes one past the outside edge, missing by a gnat’s with the wobble seam.
Lyon pushes the last ball wide of mid-on and jogs a single.
Australia need 14.
Broad gees up the crowd.
06:50 PM BST
OVER 87: AUS 265/8 (Cummins 36 Lyon 8)
Cummins pushes Robinson’s first ball to wide mid-off for a single. England will be happy with that. Five potentially at Lyon … make that one. He sprays it on to his pads and Lyon skelps it fine for a single.
Cummins chips a drive over extra-cover … Pope leaps but can’t get there and Crawley chases it down then claws it back on to his body from where it rebounds back over the rope. Robinson tests him with the short ball but he gets his nose over it.
England want Lyon on strike next over but Cummins whisks a single off his toes and gets up the other end.
Australia need 16.
WinViz is still showing England at 56 per cent. Makes no sense to me.
06:44 PM BST
OVER 86: AUS 258/8 (Cummins 30 Lyon 7)
Bounce immediately for Broad and the new ball, hitting Lyon on the splice then fizzing one past the edge, the ball climbing over Bairstow’s chest. Broad keeps trying to push him back then sneak the full one through. But he is defending it solidly at the moment and then spears an off-drive through mid-off for four. Nice high elbow. Shot!
Proper batsmanship there, followed by a tail-end yahoo, playing and missing. Lyon leaves the last.
Australia need 23.
06:40 PM BST
OVER 85: AUS 254/8 (Cummins 30 Lyon 3)
Nathan Lyon tries to tuck the first ball off his chest but flicks it into the ground, then ducks the next.
Robinson scons him with the next one, right on the kangaroo on his helmet badge. They run a leg bye and on comes the physio.
England use the opportunity to convene another bowlers’ meeting. Cummins spanks two and Robinson ends with a surprise yorker that Cummins digs out.
Australia need 27.
England take the new ball.
Hope:
Abandoned:
06:34 PM BST
OVER 84: AUS 251/8 (Cummins 28 Lyon 3)
Actually no. Broad starts with the old ball and drops short to Lyon who fends it back up the pitch. Lyon pulls the next one and Stokes leaps backwards like he did against South Africa in the World Cup. It doesn’t stick and he can’t grab it at the second attempt. Agonising. They run a single.
Next ball is fired into Cummins’ body. He backs away and fences it uppishly but safe past Anderson at cover. They run two. Cummins backs away and cuts the next ball for four through cover. Where’s the new ball?
Cummins gets on to his toes and defends the next one under his armpit, dropping it at his feet. Still with the old ball for the final delivery. Short leg comes out and goes to point. Cummins flatbats the last delivery back up the pitch.
Australia need 30. Ollie Robinson is coming on but still with the old ball.
How are your nerves?
06:27 PM BST
OVER 83: AUS AUS 244/8 (Cummins 22 Lyon 2)
Cummins decides Root has to go and comes down to lofty a six over long off, then slaps the long hop for two. Cummins smacks the next ball over long off for six. The target is tumbling. New ball now? Must be.
Yes. Stuart Broad scratches out his mark.
Australia need 37 to win.
06:25 PM BST
Root clings on to Carey
06:24 PM BST
OVER 82: AUS AUS 230/8 (Cummins 8 Lyon 2)
Both captains end the over on the deck after Cummins plinks a drive to cover and then sets off. Stokes changes tack in his followthrough, runs to his left and hurls it at the non-striker’s, copping Cummins as he stretched to make his ground.
Time for drinks. Brandy, please.
The countdown starts. Fifteen overs to go.
06:21 PM BST
Bunny?
Third time Joe Root has dismissed Alex Carey in Tests, the equal most of any batter, and has only conceded 37 runs against him. Expect to see plenty more of Root to Carey later this series.
06:20 PM BST
OVER 81: AUS AUS 228/8 (Cummins 7 Lyon 1)
If you can keep your head when others are losing theirs … Kudos to Stokes for recognising that Carey was likely to keep firing drives straight to Root’s fizzing off-breaks.
And he’s keeping himself on, too. New ball? Not yet. he’s going to pepper Lyon.
06:14 PM BST
Wicket!!
Carey c & b Root 20 Third time lucky but it almost popped out. It was thumped back at him and up went his hand. Blimey! That stung but he recovered and pouched it. Carey tosses his bat up and catches it. What a decision to persevere with Root! FOW 227/8
06:14 PM BST
OVER 80: AUS 227/7 (Carey 20 Cummins 7)
One over before the new ball and Stokes goes for some chin music but there’s nothing left in the pitch and soggy ball. Cummins evades two and lets the other four pass in front or behind him as he bobs and weaves.
Right, new ball time. The game’s afoot. Maybe not. Joe Root will have another dart.
06:10 PM BST
OVER 79: AUS 219/7 (Carey 20 Cummins 7)
Carey under edges a lap sweep for four. Root thinks it hit the pad first but it didn’t. This must be both almost unbearable and at the same time exactly the kind of game that you live to play in. Root beats Cummins with an off-break but not before they steer and push three singles. Cummins pummels the last ball back up the pitch and Root can’t cling on two inches above the ground, again instinctively going one-handed. They scamper a single.
Australia need 54.
06:06 PM BST
OVER 78: AUS 219/7 (Carey 14 Cummins 5)
Carey leans back to cut a single behind point and Stokes comes a cropper in his followthrough. But he gets up and tries a couple of slower balls to Cummins who keeps him out but has the blood pumping so much that he sets off for a single to short mid-off and then has to turn tail pronto. A yorker, chiselled out by Cummins, and a full-pace full one on off-stump is kept out with a combination of bat and pad.
06:03 PM BST
OVER 77: AUS 218/7 (Carey 13 Cummins 5)
The gear-shift continues with Cummins smacking a straight drive off Root over mid-off for four, bringing the target down to 63. Australia are going to come hard before the new ball. Eighteen balls to come before Broad can bound in.
What a terrific day’s play this has been. A proper nipper.
06:01 PM BST
OVER 76: AUS 214/7 (Carey 13 Cummins 1)
Carey defends Stokes with an angled back and almost drags on. He’s been given licence to attack now, as the last proper batsman. They jog a leg bye when Stokes angles the leg-cutter across him. Cummins takes on the bouncer and top edges a pull just out of range of Pope who hares back from square leg but can’t get there. Then Carey ends the over by toeing a drive over mid-off for two.
05:55 PM BST
OVER 75: AUS 210/7 (Carey 11 Cummins 0)
After that DRS check, Carey uses his feet to charge Root but can’t beat Stokes at mid-off and then he blasts a blistering return chance at Root’s head and he can’t cling on as it smashes into his upraised right hand. Smashed the saucer. They scramble a single but England have to take solace that they keep creating chances.
05:53 PM BST
NOT OUT
Pad first but it was angling down legside.
05:52 PM BST
ENG review
Carey lbw b Root Pad first or bat? It was pad. But heading down.
05:51 PM BST
A Jonah writes
There is talk of rain in 45 minutes or so. Are England suddenly in a hurry? Had to be Stokes, didn’t it?
05:51 PM BST
OVER 74: AUS 209/7 (Carey 10 Cummins 0
Ben Stokes is clearly knackered and yet he keeps bounding in, chastising himself for missing his line rather than grimacing at the force he is putting through that left knee. He racks up a maiden to Cummins who plays a straight bat and looks solid.
05:47 PM BST
OVER 73: AUS 209/7 (Carey 10 Cummins 0)
Carey seems to be dropped by Bairstow, an extremely sharp chance standing up to Root, but replays suggest Carey missed his attempted drive. There’s an appeal for caught behind when Carey tries a reverse sweep; there was no bat on that either.
05:45 PM BST
OVER 72: AUS 209/7 (Carey 10 Cummins 0)
That was the last ball of Stokes’ over, and what a ball it was.
05:42 PM BST
WICKET!
Khawaja b Stokes 65 He’s only gone and bloody done it again. Ben Stokes, the man for the biggest occasions, has finally extracted Usman Khawaja from the crease. It was a slower ball, I think, and Khawaja – like Green a few overs ago – dragged it back onto his stumps. Khawaja gets a standing ovation after an individual performance that brings a lump to the throat. Stokes doesn’t even celebrate, he just limps towards his adoring teammates. His force of personality is off the charts. FOW: 209/7
05:36 PM BST
OVER 71: AUS 208/6 (Khawaja 65 Carey 9)
Khawaja, going back to Root when he should have been forward, gets a late thick edge that saves him from being plumb LBW. Just a couple of runs from the over. Root has bowled well here: 9-1-14-0.
05:34 PM BST
OVER 70: AUS 206/6 (Khawaja 64 Carey 8)
Ben Stokes has bowled England to victory in tight Tests on a few occasions – Bangladesh in 2016, India at Edgbaston in 2018, South Africa in early 2020. He was also pumped for four sixes by Carlos Brathwaite in the World T20 final, so he’ll know this could go either way. But when big matches are being decided, he always wants to be involved.
Khawaja works a couple of singles off the pads, with a leg-bye inbetween. A quiet first over from Stokes, who sometimes take a while to rev up. His last ball is cracked towards mid-on, where Anderson saves four with a fine bit of fielding. Stokes smacks his hands in appreciation.
05:30 PM BST
The latest from Edgbaston
Usman Khawaja must be completely knackered; he has played one of the great Test matches by an Australian in England. It will not matter if he gets Australia home, but right now his running between the wickets is costing them vital runs in a tight chase.
05:29 PM BST
OVER 69: AUS 203/6 (Khawaja 62 Carey 8)
The crowd cheer with misplaced optimism when Carey cracks Root on the bounce to short extra cover. This is just fascinating stuff. And it’s about to get even more fascinating: Ben Stokes is coming on.
05:27 PM BST
OVER 68: AUS 202/6 (Khawaja 61 Carey 8)
With two left-handers at the crease, Ben Stokes decides to bowl both his offspinners. It’s a risk because Moeen Ali is still struggling with his finger, and because Robinson was bowling superrbly. A long hop is savaged for four by Carey, which brings up Australia’s 200, and then he nails a drive towards long-off. Robinson charges round the boundary and dives to save a couple of runs. That’s marvellous fielding.
05:20 PM BST
OVER 67: AUS 195/6 (Khawaja 60 Carey 2)
Carey gets a big inside-edge onto the pad off Root, with the ball looping to safety on the leg side. England have a slip and gully but no short leg. Carey decides not to be a sitting duck and hacks the ball to deep midwicket for a couple. Australia need 86 to win – and Moeen Ali is about to come back on.
05:19 PM BST
OVER 66: AUS 193/6 (Khawaja 60 Carey 0)
Khawaja, whose concentration is extraordinary, continues to defend immaculately. England are trying everything to rip his from his bubble: Robinson bowls two balls around the wicket, two over, then two more back around, the second of those with an umbrella field. Khawaja repels the lot. Whether Australia win or lose, this is one of the great Ashes performances.
Since tea Robinson has bowled a masterful spell of 4-3-2-1.
05:14 PM BST
OVER 64: AUS 193/6 (Khawaja 60 Carey 0)
Root now has two left-handers to bowl at. Khawaja pulls a short ball for a single, though that was a rare poor delivery from Root. He’s bowling quite nicely, with some lovely curve into the left-handers. One from the over.
05:11 PM BST
OVER 63: AUS 192/6 (Khawaja 59 Carey 0)
The new batter Alex Carey digs out a superb yorker second ball.
05:09 PM BST
WICKET!
Green b Robinson 28 Ollie Robinson roars with delight after making a vital breakthrough! It was a superb delivery to Cameron Green, fullish and nipping back off the seam. Green, cramped for room, tried to glide the ball to third man and dragged it onto the stumps. Robinson deserves that for a superb little spell. FOW: 189/6
05:05 PM BST
OVER 63: AUS 192/5 (Khawaja 59 Green 28)
Root conducts the crowd at the start of the over. It needs a wicket to really get them going, and Root almost provides it with a gorgeous delivery that curves into Khawaja and then spits past his outside edge.
Three singles from the over. Australia are 89 away from glory.
05:01 PM BST
OVER 62: AUS 189/5 (Khawaja 58 Green 26)
A sharp bouncer from Robinson is avoided well, if a little awkwardly, by Khawaja. It’s a excellent maiden from Robinson, in fact, including two bouncers and a yorker. Khawaja, who has faced almost 500 deliveries in this match, is equal to them all.
04:58 PM BST
OVER 61: AUS 189/5 (Khawaja 58 Green 26)
I thought we might see Broad and Stokes after tea but in fact Robinson and Joe Root have picked up where they left off. Green skids back in his crease to force a couple through the covers – it’s fielded by the substitute Matthew Potts, who is on for Moeen – and then crunches a single down the ground.
Khawaja taps Root on the leg side for another run. It feels like this is getting away from England, although we’ve said that a few times in the past year.
04:54 PM BST
OVER 60: AUS 185/5 (Khawaja 57 Green 23)
Robinson has one slip for Khawaja, who continues to defend with utter certainty. A shorter delivery is pulled smoothly for a single, then Green thick edges another run. Australia need 96 to win.
04:50 PM BST
The players are out on the field
It’s time for the final session of a storming Test match. Ollie Robinson will bowl to his new friend Usman Khawaja.
04:41 PM BST
Where’s your money?
Australia have to be favourites now, but it can swing back England’s way so quickly. Curious that we have not seen Ben Stokes, who did warm up before the start. I would go to him and Stuart Broad, with the crowd getting a good gee up. There’s a lot of tension here.
04:35 PM BST
New ball, new hope?
Some comfort to England after that difficult passage of play. The second new ball will probably be in play later, if England need it: Australia are 98 runs away, with 21 overs left till England could take the new ball. The fear is that, by that point, it could be almost too late – but England are only two wickets away from Pat Cummins. You suspect that England might need a burst from Ben Stokes – either bowling short or swinging the ball (an underrated strength of his) to break this game open again.
04:33 PM BST
TEA: AUS 183/5 (Khawaja 56 Green 22)
Thrilling session but as nervy as any recent nipper I can remember. England have bowled and fielded well but this partnership of 40* is building Australia a path to victory. Whither Stokes’ bowling. Is it really the last trick and one he is reluctant to play or just not feasible at all given his injury?
04:31 PM BST
OVER 59: AUS 183/5 (Khawaja 56 Green 22)
Ricky Ponting and Nasser Hussain have an illuminating discussion on Green switching guard between innings from two legs to off-stump against the spinners and it’s enabling him to play much straighter. Root finishes the session with a probing maiden that Green plays out with an angled bat, looking for gaps but not finding any.
That’s tea. Australia need 98 to win, England five wickets.
04:28 PM BST
OVER 58: AUS 183/5 (Khawaja 56 Green 22)
Khawaja opens the face – going to need a macro for that this series I reckon – and steers a single behind point off the returning Robinson who subjects Green to a snorter that angled in and jags away, whistling past the edge as he pushed towards it. The next ball holds its line and Green smothers it. The right-hander pats a low full toss towards mid-on and sprints a single, chastising himself for not nailing it for four.
Australia need 98 to win.
04:24 PM BST
OVER 57: AUS 181/5 (Khawaja 55 Green 21)
Huge turn for Root to Green who keeps trying to lay off-breaks through the offside, against the turn. One that spat out of the rough was played on the back foot and it excited the crowd as it spun back, hoping it would carrom into the stumps but in fact he played it pretty well.
04:21 PM BST
OVER 56: AUS 180/5 (Khawaja 54 Green 21)
Khawaja seems to have all the time in the world, to unfold all the precious things. Anderson pitches up from round the wicket and Khawaja defends a couple then opens the face to work a single behind point. After a leg-bye, Anderson tries a leg-break but he drags it down and Khawaja cuffs it for a single.
Green takes on an off-drive, lofts his chip to where a conventional mid-off may have been but the fielder is shorter and wider. It races away for four. Here comes Joe Root. Moeen’s finger can’t withstand another over at present.
Australia need 101.
Things have drifted back Australia’s way with this excellent partnership. Tea in 10 minutes; England would love a wicket now, but will undoubtedly come out majorly on the offensive afterwards.
04:16 PM BST
OVER 55: AUS 173/5 (Khawaja 52 Green 17)
Green drives Moeen for three, should have been a single but Anderson’s dive only allows him to parry the ball further towards the boundary and he has to get up and chase it down. They take three more singles off the over as Moeen comes round the wicket. Ricky Ponting thinks he ought to stick to over the wicket to Green and his captain should be encouraging him to do so.
04:12 PM BST
OVER 54: AUS 167/5 (Khawaja 50 Green 13)
Ben Stokes posts himself at silly mid-off for Green, starting with two that shape in. Green defends. Anderson goes for the three-card trick with the wider one, tempting a big woofing drive. But Green isn’t playing ball or at that ball. Green then punches two off the back foot through extra-cover. Should have been three but Usman looks knackered. A single off the last ball, back-cut to third man, reduces the target to 114.
04:09 PM BST
OVER 53: AUS 164/5 (Khawaja 50 Green 10)
Green moves into double figures with a single off a straightish off drive that goes under Moeen’s dive and wide of mid-off’s. Brook, the man at long-straight (?!), races up to keep them down to one. Jimmy will continue, straining for reverse-wing to gull Green.
04:04 PM BST
OVER 52: AUS 163/5 (Khawaja 50 Green 9)
But Stokes cannot have fielders everywhere. Khawaja brings up his fifty when he flips Anderson off his hip, bottom edges on to his thighpad and the ball loops through a vacant leg gully for two. Pope gives the ball a long working, to dry and then polish it. Those two runs are the only damage off the over as Australia continue their softly, softly approach.
04:00 PM BST
OVER 51: AUS 161/5 (Khawaja 48 Green 9)
Stokes’s field placings have been magnificent today, allowing the bowlers to rack up dot ball after dot ball but the best thing about the Australian batsmen’s psyche is that they haven’t allowed themselves to become exasperated. They’re playing the long game. Green is happy to block and, when given some flight and width, loosens his grip to squirt two behind point.
03:56 PM BST
OVER 50: AUS 159/5 (Khawaja 48 Green 7)
Green drives Anderson with an open face, opening that bottom wrist, to tap two down to the cover sweeper and ends the over with a steer behind point for a single. If Stokes has any overs in that knee, he cannot leave it much longer.
03:52 PM BST
OVER 49: AUS 156/5 (Khawaja 48 Green 4)
Moeen serves up a low full toss – the shredded index finger shredding his control – and Khawaja pumps it over midwicket for four. Twice, though, on the back foot he makes misjudgments, hoicking an attempted pull short of mid-on, then almost feathering a cut through to Bairstow. Relief for Bairtsow when UltraEdge shows he didn’t snick it as Bairstow tipped it round the post.
03:49 PM BST
OVER 48: AUS 150/5 (Khawaja 42 Green 4)
Usman is still in second gear and can’t beat the infield, even when he tries, until Anderson’s angle gives him the opportunity to whisk a single off his pads. It gives Anderson three goes at Green. He defends the first, leaves the second and is almost undone by the third which nips in. But he manages to jam his hands down and nick it on to his pads before being pinned, possibly plumb.
03:43 PM BST
OVER 47: AUS 149/5 (Khawaja 41 Green 4)
Quite over. Khawaja, who can’t climb out of his shell, slaps a single off the first ball and Green gets that big dog forward to block the next five as Moeen tries variations of flight and pace.
03:40 PM BST
OVER 46: AUS 148/5 (Khawaja 40 Green 4)
Anderson replaces Broad and gives Green The Jimm-ish Inquisition, twice sending deliveries whistling past the edge as the tall right-hander pushes forward very tentatively. Ben Stokes bellows an appeal to the second of them, a solo appeal. And then Green does edge it but two slips wide of Root, the solitary slip at first. It scuttles down through third man for four.
03:36 PM BST
JL on the state of play
What an hour. Symbolic of this extraordinary Test match. The wicket looks slow. Ben Stokes is squeezing the run rate. Usman Khawaja must be exhausted having batted every day of this Test. His calmness gives every Australian supporter hope. ‘Bazball’ Travis Head will keep the action flowing. Brilliant Test cricket. Which team will hold their nerve? That’s the key to winning these tight Test matches.
03:33 PM BST
OVER 45: AUS 143/5 (Khawaja 39 Green 0)
Stokes calls up Moeen Ali to replace Ollie Robinson and sends Harry Brook to stand on the boundary behind the bowler. Gun-barrel straight. The stricken Moeen starts with a long hop and Head rocks back to pull for four then slaps a cut for two when Moeen sends down another loosener. But Moeen almost gets his man when Head nicks it just wide of a diving first slip and despite Broad’s heroics to chase it down, it goes for four when Broad’s arms is judged to have touched the toblerone while he was clawing it back.
03:31 PM BST
Wicket!!
Head c Root b Moeen 16 Got ’im. Diddled him with a drifting off-break that he nicked to slip. Moeen had started with two looseners then made three in succession rip out of the rough, diddling Head with the last of them. FOW 143/5
03:27 PM BST
OVER 44: AUS 133/4 (Khawaja 39 Head 6)
Broad continues. This is the 12th over of his spell, albeit split over two days. Head scuffs a pull round the corner for four, the first boundary of the day, though it was a victory of sorts for Broad. The ball was in the air but tantalisingly out of Jonny Bairstow’s reach.
This really is fascinating stuff. Head inside-edges a yorker to safety on the leg side – that almost got through – and then nails a pull that is well fielded at square leg.
03:23 PM BST
Robinson v Khawaja
Bit of a set-to there, as drinks taken, between Ollie Robinson and Usman Khawaja who, of course, have some pretty one-sided history. Jimmy Anderson playing peacemaker, which is quite funny.
Yeah, good luck trying to get a rise out of Khawaja.
03:19 PM BST
OVER 43: AUS 128/4 (Khawaja 39 Head 1)
Khawaja leaves an inducker from Robinson that doesn’t miss off stump by all that much. It was well judged but also encouraging for Robinson, who is getting the ball to nibble just enough. He’s bowling an immaculate line and length and has figures this morning of 3-1-3-0. That’s drinks.
It’s been England’s session so far: 13 overs, 21 runs, one wicket.
03:16 PM BST
From Edgbaston
Strange moment, there, where over the tannoy all stewards were told to go to their posts. Can’t see any evidence of great urgency, a little like Usman Khawaja, who is getting in England’s way once more.
03:16 PM BST
OVER 42: AUS 128/4 (Khawaja 39 Head 1)
With nobody in front of cover point on the office side, Head backs away to Broad, but he mistimes his pull shot into the ground. Head gets off the mark from the next ball, his 13th, pulling round the corner for a single.
Khawaja times a square drive nicely without beating Brook at cover point. Australia do get one run though, as it’s another no-ball from Broad. Khawaja might not be scoring many runs – 5 from 41 balls this morning – but he does look very secure.
Saying which, he is almost duped by a loopy yorker from Broad that brushes the bottom edge and flies past leg stump. That was lovely bowling, a touch of Harmison to Clarke in 2005, although Harmison’s slower ball was far more extravagant.
03:10 PM BST
OVER 41: AUS 125/4 (Khawaja 38 Head 0)
England’s three seamers have bowled with admirable control this morning. Robinson bowls a no-ball but that’s the only blemish in another challenging over to Khawaja. “Boring, boring Aussies” sing some of the Edgbaston crowd, who have seen 17 runs in the first 11 overs, only 11 of them off the bat.
Australia are playing the long game, which I think is sensible in the conditions. The required rate is still manageable: they need 156 runs from 46 overs.
03:04 PM BST
OVER 40: AUS 123/4 (Khawaja 38 Head 0)
Broad to Khawaja, now from over the wicket. That’s the angle that has troubled Khawaja in England (he averages less than 20, as compared to 70 from around the wicket), although I don’t know how relevant those stats are given Khawaja’s improvement since 2019. He ignores a couple of awayswingers, then gets off strike with a leg-bye.
Head ignores a bouncer and flicks one to square leg. He’s still stuck on nought. The Sky commentators, Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting, think Ben Stokes should replace Broad right now and go after Head. In short, the longer Head is at the crease, the less uncomfortable he is against the short ball.
02:59 PM BST
OVER 39: AUS 122/4 (Khawaja 38 Head 0)
Ollie Robinson replaces Jimmy Anderson and starts over the wicket to Khawaja with a relatively orthodox field. This is no time for umbrellas. He has a normal field for Head too, in contrast to Broad’s in the previous over.
Head times a couple of strokes without piercing the infield, and then mistimes a big drive at a wider delivery. Runs aren’t coming easily at the moment: 15 from eight overs today.
02:51 PM BST
OVER 38: AUS 121/4 (Khawaja 37 Head 0)
The new batter is Travis Head, one of world cricket’s most dangerous counter-attackers. England need him early.
The field is set for short-pitched bowling, with no slips and a deepish silly point. Head takes on the pull but doesn’t time up and Khawaja turns down what looked a fairly comfortable single.
So far this morning we’ve had 14 runs from eight overs. Fair to say that scoring rate will change if Head stays at the crease.
02:50 PM BST
WICKET!
Boland c Bairstow b Broad 20 A classic double bluff from Stuart Broad! He brought in a short leg and silly point for Boland, who expected a short-ball assault as a result. Instead Broad gave him the full-length inswinger that did for Steve Smith yesterday, and Boland – viscerally reluctant to get forward – snicked a leaden-footed drive through to Jonny Bairstow. FOW: 121/4
02:46 PM BST
OVER 37: AUS 121/3 (Khawaja 37 Boland 20)
An inswinger from Anderson hits Boland on the pad and flies away for four leg byes. A similar delivery leads to a hopeful appeal for a catch down the leg side; Boland’s bat was nowhere near it.
Boland is becoming an irritant. This is now double his previous high score in his short Test score, and just as importantly he is protecting the middle order while the ball is doing a bit. Last night he was a nightwatchman; today he’s a cloudwatchman.
02:41 PM BST
OVER 36: AUS 116/3 (target 281; Khawaja 37 Boland 19)
After a few overs of line and length, England have decided to bomb the nightwatchman Boland. He ducks under a bouncer from Broad, then fences wide of leg slip for a single.
Khawaja shapes to pull a short ball before thinking better of it. We haven’t seen the speedgun but Broad looks sharp today.
02:37 PM BST
OVER 35: AUS 113/3 (target 281; Khawaja 36 Boland 17)
Khawaja digs out a possibly unintentional wide yorker from Anderson, who groaned as the ball left his hand. Anderson strayed onto Khawaja’s pads a few times yesterday but his line has so far been excellent. Ditto Broad, so for now the scoreboard is stuck: Khawaja has scored 2 from 21 balls since the resumption.
02:34 PM BST
From Scyld at Edgbaston
It is one of those rare days when bowlers are treated as well as batsmen i.e. the crowd applauds individual balls as much as they applaud a batsman’s individual shots.
02:33 PM BST
OVER 34: AUS 113/3 (target 281; Khawaja 36 Boland 17)
The sun is starting to peek through, which isn’t good news for England. But there is movement, and that’s all Broad and Anderson ever asked for. Boland forces a big inswinger from Broad on the bounce to gully and survives the rest of the over fairly comfortably. He’s doing a fine job.
Meanwhile, Will Macpherson at Edgbaston thinks Ben Stokes will play a part with the ball today.
Interestingly, Ben Stokes is warming up his bowling. He is so good when the game gets tight, and was England’s matchwinner with the ball on this ground against India five years ago. Moeen Ali has been warming up too, but looks in a lot of pain.
02:31 PM BST
Moeen struggling with finger injury
Moeen had a quick bowl before the start of play. Rather worryingly he has since spent all his time wringing his hand and looking at his finger. This is a day for the seamers though. Lovely bowling conditions.
02:29 PM BST
OVER 33: AUS 113/3 (target 281; Khawaja 36 Boland 17)
A misfield from Robinson at mid-on allows Boland to get off strike against Anderson. It almost has a happy ending for England when Khawaja, feeling defensively outside off stump, is beaten by a superb wobble-seam delivery. An excellent over from Anderson, with some promising movement for England.
02:24 PM BST
OVER 32: AUS 112/3 (target 281; Khawaja 36 Boland 16)
I won’t insult your intelligence by announcing who will open up alongside Anderson. The crowd roar as Stuart Broad gallops in for his first ball, which Scott Boland thick edges for three. This is a decent start for Australia, not least because the ball has gone to the wetter parts of the field on a couple of occasions. Joe Root is drying the ball after each delivery.
Broad also starts round the wicket to Khawaja, even though the data suggests bowling over is a much better option. There’s a hint of swing but Khawaja isn’t playing outside off stump, not yet.
02:18 PM BST
OVER 31: AUS 109/3 (target 281; Khawaja 36 Boland 13)
Anderson starts around the wicket, with two slips in place. It’s still a bit overcast, so England will hope for a bit of movement before the sun comes out.
Khawaja gets the first runs of the day with a thick inside edge for two. An accurate first over from Anderson, albeit without any swing or seam.
02:15 PM BST
Anderson to Khawaja
James Anderson will open the bowling to Usman Khawaja, who joins a short list of players who have batted on all five days of a Test match.
02:14 PM BST
Here come the players
It’s time: England v Australia, to the death (or an anticlimactic draw).
02:09 PM BST
From Will at Edgbaston
The crowd are just starting to come to life, 10 minutes before we get going. The conditions are good for bowling, you’d have to conclude, but the clouds have lifted a little. We’ve got plenty of overs to get a result, no doubt about that.
02:06 PM BST
Ten minutes to go
The weather looks fine, so play is going to resume as planned at 2.15pm. This is going to be glorious.
01:53 PM BST
A maximum of 67 overs available
So all four results remain in play. Australia can pootle along at 2.60 an over and win. England have good overhead conditions but any ball going over the boundary will get saturated and eventually make it like a bar of soap.
01:46 PM BST
England’s leading home wicket-takers in fourth innings since 2013
The list is headed by Stuart Broad but look who’s seventh in the list:
Stuart Broad 54
Moeen Ali 37
James Anderson 35
Chris Woakes 19
Ben Stokes 16
Graeme Swann 14
Joe Root 10
01:36 PM BST
Restart at 2.15pm
Good news. We’re back at 2.15pm. More good news: the forecast is for no rain until 9pm, so we will get a positive result. Less good news: the sun is coming out, so England might not get the benefit of cloud cover. But they will hope that the overnight rain leaves moisture on the wicket which helps get more seam movement.
01:35 PM BST
Speaking of reading material …
01:22 PM BST
The umpires begin their inspection
The pitch itself is still covered and in some places by the rope, water does come out of the ground when Marais Earsmus steps on it. The hover cover is now coming off but it still needs to be rolled. I suspect it will be at least another half an hour. The super soppers will need to make another couple of passes at least on the outfield.
But the stands are beginning to fill and it’s another sell-out, the remaining tickets being snapped up in a couple of hours yesterday.
01:07 PM BST
Update on the progress of the mopping up operation
That would mean an inspection at approx 1.30pm
01:03 PM BST
The last time …
England bowled Australia out against the clock to win a Test on day five was, I think, at Adelaide in 2010. And just for something to read while we wait for resumption, here’s Scyld Berry’s report of the day’s play.
And here’s their matchwinner:
12:48 PM BST
Good afternoon
Rob Bagchi taking over from Rob Smyth for a while. Have you ever sat in the Hollies? I haven’t this century, preferring anywhere but … yet this video is giving me the kind of flashbacks that used to bedevil Vietnam Vets in rustbelt bars.
12:41 PM BST
The covers are coming off
And the forecast for the rest of the day remains okay. Folks, it’s time to prepare yourself for the exquisite torment of an Ashes runchase.
12:19 PM BST
Another update from Will
The cleanup is definitely gathering pace here, and the rain has stopped. Will be at least an hour from now, but the picture is improving. Light will not be an issue either.
12:15 PM BST
The puddle never lies
12:08 PM BST
The match situation at Edgbaston
Australia will resume on 107/3, chasing 281, with Usman Khawaja on 34 and the nightwatchman Scott Boland on 13.
They will probably want at least 50 overs today, with 174 still needed, but it’s hard to judge these things when Ben Stokes is the opposition captain.
11:55 AM BST
Ashes free bets
Having a bet on the first Test? Find the best Ashes free bets to use.
11:54 AM BST
When will play resume?
A reminder that an early lunch will be taken at the 12.30pm, so play could potentially start from 1.10pm onwards. Will Macpherson, part of our team at Edgbaston, thinks 1.30-2pm is more realistic.
11:39 AM BST
Good news from Edgbaston
It is getting brighter, and the ground-staff are mopping up. There are no great puddles on the outfield, which is good news.
Who knows, we might have a repeat of the Ashes Test at the Oval in 1968, when England – with the help of some unofficial groundstaff – raced against time to beat Australia.
11:22 AM BST
Our men at Edgbaston
11:22 AM BST
Wet wet wet
Groundstaff are cricket’s unsung heroes. If there is a result today – and there is still a pretty good chance of that – they will have played a big part.
11:07 AM BST
A fine line between confidence and hubris
Our chief sports writer Oliver Brown considers the virtues and vices of England’s cavalier approach.
It is all very well setting up to hit a reverse ramp from the first ball, as Root did, but are there not moments when discretion is the better part of valour? Under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, it would appear not. Between them, they have cultivated a brand of cricket almost creaking under the weight of its own bravado.
Read more…
10:58 AM BST
The great AB de Villiers on Labuschagne v Broad
10:53 AM BST
No play before lunch
The umpires have confirmed that an early lunch will be taken at 12.30pm, with no play before then. That means the earliest possible start is 1.10pm.
It looks gloomy at the moment, but there’s every reason to believe we will get a lot of cricket in the afternoon and early evening.
10:43 AM BST
Weatherwatch
The forecast is improving. According to the Met Office, there’s only a 20 per cent chance of rain from 11am onwards. A couple of hours ago it was around 80 per cent before 1pm. It’s on!
10:36 AM BST
An update from Edgbaston
Morning all. It’s very wet here, but the forecast is better from about lunchtime. If the light holds – and it’s the longest day of the year tomorrow, so it should – I think we could get about 55-60 overs. That would seem perfect. Australia would need three an over to win, but the draw would be in play. England would have to work hard to manufacture wickets, but might get a new ball at the bitter end, too.
10:30 AM BST
Nick Hoult’s day four report
Edgbaston has seen it all before when it comes to tense Ashes finishes but it is in line for another absolute classic on Tuesday with the nation hiding behind the sofa as the first Test reaches a tense climax.
Read more…
10:24 AM BST
Sir Geoffrey Boycott calls on England to be aggressive as they seek victory
Sir Geoffrey Boycott has called on England to bowl with aggression and intensity as they seek to take the seven wickets needed for victory in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
The contest is evenly poised heading into the last day with Australia needing 174 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-Test series. And such has been the see-sawing nature of the Test so far that the former England opener thinks the match is too close to call.
“Last night I thought Australia might just get home, but thinking about it all last night I now think England might just get the win, that’s how close it is to call. It will swing back and forth,” Boycott said.
“Pressure bowling has got England the three big wickets so far, not not seam or swing or spin. Broad, Anderson and Robinson giving everything on every ball, bowling miserly and making life tough for the batsmen to score any runs with each ball bowled with aggression and intensity. More of the same is required.”
To hear everything the all-time great had to say about what could be another brilliant’s day’s play listen here.
10:24 AM BST
Root’s reverse scoops kick off magical hour
The great Scyld Berry has seen more Test cricket than almost anyone on the planet, and is as shrewd a judge of cricket as almost anyone on the planet. So when he says England produced the most dazzling hour of batting he has ever seen, it’s well worth listening. Or rather reading.
Teams have been known to meander aimlessly through the third innings of a Test; England hit 101 runs in the first 14.3 overs of day four, the most dazzling opening hour of batting in my observation, in person, of 480-odd Tests (this epic is the 2,507th).
Read more…
10:13 AM BST
Broad and Robinson embrace Ashes villainy
Will Macpherson has written about two of England’s fiercest competitors, who were front and centre on a pulsating fourth day.
Having said “we all want that theatre in the game and I am here to provide it” and criticised the “three No11s” in Australia’s tail, it would have been a bad day for Robinson to lose his nerve. Fortunately for England, he did not.
Read more…
09:52 AM BST
Bairstow v Foakes
Jonny Bairstow has had a tough game behind the stumps, missing a number of chances. But, as Tim Wigmore writes, England’s mind is made up.
09:43 AM BST
The scene at Edgbaston
09:33 AM BST
How are the nerves?
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, over-by-over, bitten-nail-by-bitten-nail coverage of the final day at Edgbaston. First, the bad news: Bazball can’t control the weather. It’s pelting down in Birmingham, as it has been for most of the morning, and there is almost no chance of play starting on time.
The better news is that the forecast is much better this afternoon, so there should be plenty of play. Whether there will be enough for a result either way we don’t know, but it could lead to a thrilling race against time for England, Australia or both. It’s still Squeaky Bum Time; they’ve just pushed it back by a few hours.
Australia will resume on 107 for three, needing another 174 runs. It’s been a brilliant Test match, full of subtle and occasionally spectacular momentum shifts. England’s batters could be forgiven for quoting Michael Corleone: every time they thought were getting away, Australia’s bowlers pulled them back in.
The same was true for Australia’s top order last night. They started their runchase with ominous serenity, but Stuart Broad changed the mood with a blistering spell that included the cheap wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith.
Broad feels like England’s key man today, such is his addiction to Ashes victories. If you could bottle his competitive juices, you’d be a billionaire within weeks.
The rain means that, when the players do get on, batting is likely to be pretty tough for the first hour or so. That will be England’s time to strike.
All four results are possible, including a tie. Okay, at least three results are possible, including a tie. Since he took over as captain, Ben Stokes has had the air of a man who would rather lose than draw. The weather may foil him today, but one thing’s for sure: he won’t die wondering.
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